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Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Ragu

Simple things in life make me happy. Like, waking up in the morning and realizing there’s still an hour till the alarm rings (which never happens by the way); or, when my boyfriend’s dog greets me every time I come over, as if it hasn’t seen me in years; or, spaghetti and ragu.

Except, the carbs don’t like me back.

You see, back in college, I could eat ice milk or frozen custard from the self serve machine after every single meal at the dining hall, and I still wouldn’t gain weight. Now, I eat a a plate of pasta now and then, and BOOM! I gain five pounds. Sitting in the office eight hours a day has something to do with that, I think. Or…I’m just getting old.

I actually have to watch what I eat now. But it really isn’t as sad as it sounds.

Turns out, I CAN still have my spaghetti and ragu and eat it too, you just gotta be a little clever.

After roasting it, the flesh comes apart easily like strands of spaghetti. Of course, it’s not going to taste like pasta, nor is the texture similar. It has a very mild taste to it with a slightly crunchy texture. It blends very well with the ragu and I was definitely satisfied with how this turned out.

And you can still twirl it with a fork like you do with spaghetti! That makes me happy!

I also swapped the traditional beef with turkey, and I must say I may like the turkey even more.

Spaghetti Sauce with Turkey Ragu

Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and membrane. Season with salt and pepper, and bake for about an hour. Cut side up.
2. In a large pot, melt butter and add oil. Add onions and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes, until onion is soft.
3. Add the turkey and season with salt and pepper. Continue to break the meat to smaller pieces so it doesn’t turn into a giant patty.
4. When meat is cooked, add tomatoes and adjust taste with salt and pepper.
5. Cover and simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally
6. After spaghetti squash is cooked, use a fork to remove flesh, which will come off like spaghetti strands.
7. Top spaghetti squash with meat sauce, and sprinkle parmesan cheese over it.